The Good Book
by Freckled Princess of Arendelle
Summary: Modern AU. Elsa gives Hans a new book to read, unaware of how much he comes to love it. (Helsa)


_Another Helsa story inspired by a Tumblr prompt. :)_

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The Good Book

It was a cold evening at the university, with harsh snowy winds blowing through and keeping the students inside their dorms and apartments. Icy and sharp snowflakes tapped on the glass window while the winds howled like a chorus of ghosts.

As the storm continued to rage outside, Hans sat in his apartment bedroom with a mug of hot chocolate on his nightstand and _A Game of Thrones_ clutched in his hands. In the nearby lounge, laughter and loud, mingling voices echoed all the way to his room, and when he stopped to listen, Hans could hear bits of his roommates' voices. Another house party no doubt.

Hans had initially planned to go to the gathering - until a certain small thick book on his desk caught his attention.

If there was anyone to blame for missing the party, it was Elsa. She was the one who recommended the famous series the last time they had their usual literature discussions.

It began with "So what did you think of _Northanger Abbey_?" and ended with a disbelieved Elsa giving Hans a small yet ridiculously thick copy of _A Game of Thrones_.

"Here read this! Maybe you'll actually like it!" she scowled. She then marched out of the library, leaving a dumbstruck Hans with the book in his hand.

After Elsa left, Hans debated on whether or not to start the book. He heard good things about the HBO show, yet no one ever voiced their opinions on the actual book series. Moreover, who would think that the first book would be so thick in length?

Nevertheless, after some thinking (and finding out that the first season was checked out from the library), Hans bookmarked the appendix and turned to the first page.

Three days after receiving the book, Hans found himself sitting in his bedroom or the campus café whenever he had free time to read the suspenseful dramas of the Starks and Lannisters. He would get himself a tall latte, sit comfortably with the book in his hands, and read page after page, word for word.

The more Hans got into the characters and their stories, the more he had to admit that the book was actually very good. There was no dramatic love conflict that Elsa enjoyed. Rather there was the suspense, fantasy, and action that Hans looked for whenever he read any of Elsa's long overly dramatic Jane Austen novels. Truth to be told, Hans could've turned down Elsa's passionate literature discussions long ago, yet he knew that would only hurt her. If Elsa loved talking about Mr. Darcy, Hans would listen to every word.

Intrigued, Hans set his hot chocolate down on the nightstand and flipped to the next page. He was so absorbed in the heightening tension of Ned Stark's execution that he did not even hear the door creak open.

Breathless and flushed from her walk, Elsa stepped into the room. She was dressed in her cozy pajama sweats, snow boots, thick winter coat, and a thick woolen scarf wrapped around her neck. Snow dusted her hair and shoulders like powdered sugar and her cheeks were chilled from having walk from her place.

"There you are. I've been texting you a million times but you never responded!" Elsa exclaimed. She turned and began to slip off her coat.

"Whew it's so cold and windy outside! Astrid told me I was crazy for visiting. And you know what? On my way over here, I started to think she was right. I can't even feel my legs."

Elsa then leaned over and tugged off her boots. "Why aren't you at the party? Everyone's wondering about you."

When she did not hear an answer or even a simple humph of a reply, Elsa turned and arched a brow. "Hans?"

Hans did not even look up to acknowledge her. His eyes remained transfixed on the page. A look of pure fascination was visible on his handsome face.

"Hans? Did you even hear a word I said?" Elsa asked.

Still no response.

Smiling, Elsa let out a small sigh and placed her hands on her hips. She could not help but find Hans to look cute with his glowing eyes and far-away attention. Heck, she suddenly wondered if he would notice if an elephant burst through the door.

Since it looked as though Hans was not going to speak up anytime soon, Elsa decided to get herself comfortable now that she was here. After fixing her messy bun and setting her boots aside, Elsa tiptoed to the small bookshelf that was above Hans' neatly kept desk.

Humming to herself, the young woman leaned over and pulled out her copy of _Les Misérables_. With a pleased nod at the cover, Elsa moved across the room and to the bed where Hans was.

"Mind if I join you?" she spoke up.

"Hmm." Hans shook his head and Elsa's smile widened as she sat down and scooted towards him, wanting to get close but not too close.

She was about to scoot up and get comfortable right beside him when all of a sudden Hans lifted his arm and wrapped it around her waist.

Surprised yet equally happy, Elsa snuggled against his chest and opened her own book to the marked chapter. She then leaned back and rested her head against Hans' neck, feeling his arm tighten around her and draw her close.

When she lifted her book to start reading, Elsa suddenly felt his warm, soft lips on her neck and the girl let out a small purr in response. A nice warm feeling swept through her body and Elsa could not help but lift her socked feet and set them over Hans' own legs.

Finally comfortable and snuggled up against Hans, Elsa turned and pecked a surprise kiss on his cheek. She could already feel the chill melt away by just sitting here with the man she loved.

Lifting her head up, Elsa smiled. "How's the book?"

"Awesome." Hans admitted. He then tuned away from the page he was on and green eyes flickered down and meet Elsa's bright glance. "And I'm glad you came."

"Me too." Elsa said and leaned in to meet his lips.

When they broke apart, Elsa rested her head back against his neck and they began to read their books. Glancing down at her, Hans smiled and kept his arm around her, wanting to keep her close.

Truth to be told, having a good book and his girlfriend here was better than any college party.


End file.
